Author

Shawn Elbaz

CTO

About

Shawn Elbaz is the CTO of Ampliphi and leads the engineering team that builds the revenue management system for independent hotels: the pricing engine that sets each night’s rate, the Alfie assistant, and the integrations that read bookings and publish rates through hotels’ PMS and channel managers. Shawn writes about how independent hotels price their rooms and what revenue software should do for them, drawing on what Ampliphi sees across the hotels it prices every night.

Writes about

Hotel revenue management software
Dynamic pricing systems
Hotel demand forecasting
PMS and channel manager integrations
AI assistants for hotel operations

LinkedIn ↗

Articles by Shawn

Will independent hotels have to get comfortable with another cut?

We asked ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and Gemini about Austin hotels 330 times. The lists rarely repeat, and once guests ask to book, chains and OTAs take over.

Oct 16, 202619 min read

Strategy

How revenue management is changing for independent hotels: Tim Kolman on The Modern Hotelier

On The Modern Hotelier, Tim Kolman tells David Millili why most small independents price at the end of the day, why to watch competitors but never follow them, and why hoteliers want a co-pilot, not an autopilot.

Oct 2, 20267 min read

Operations

How much revenue are you losing by updating rates in a spreadsheet?

Rate update lag is the revenue a hotel loses on nights sold between manual rate updates. Estimate yours from six numbers, with the formula and a worked table.

Oct 2, 20267 min read

Guides

The borrowed rate: what Google's September 30 change means for your hotel

Google stops sourcing hotel rates for Hotel Ads on September 30, 2026. How to tell, with one question to whoever runs your Google Ads, whether your hotel is affected and what to do if it is.

Sep 25, 20265 min read

Strategy

High Occupancy But Low Revenue: What the Pattern Means

Occupancy up and revenue flat has four common causes. How to work through them in the order that rules them out fastest, and the readings where nothing is wrong at all.

Aug 14, 20268 min read

Strategy

How to Tell If Your Hotel Is Underpriced

Four signals that reveal whether your rooms are priced below what your market would pay, how to check your comp-set position by hand, and what public rates can never tell you.

Aug 7, 20267 min read

Education

What is RGI (Revenue Generation Index) and Why Does It Matter for Your Hotel

RGI compares your hotel's RevPAR to your comp set's average to show whether you are capturing your fair share of demand. Here is the formula, a worked example, and how to improve it.

Jul 18, 202610 min read

Strategy

What is Hotel Overbooking—and How Should Independent Hotels Manage It?

Overbooking is often a deliberate strategy, not a mistake. Here is how independent hotels can offset cancellations and no-shows without turning guests away or damaging their reputation.

Jul 18, 202611 min read

Strategy

How to Handle Hotel Cancellation Policies Without Killing Your RevPAR

Your cancellation policy is a pricing lever. Here is how free versus non-refundable rates, and tiered windows, protect RevPAR without hurting demand.

Jul 18, 202610 min read

Operations

Hotel Upselling: How to Increase Revenue Per Guest Without Discounting

The biggest upsell opportunities happen before check-in, not at the front desk. Here is when to offer, what converts, and how to raise revenue per guest without discounting.

Jul 18, 202611 min read

Education

How Channel Managers Work: A Guide for Revenue Managers

Channel managers keep your rates and availability in sync across every booking site. Here is how they actually work, and what revenue managers should know before choosing one.

Jun 12, 20269 min read

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